Museveni could become president for life as Uganda's Parliament votes to remove age limit

- Uganda's Parliament on Tuesday, December 19, voted overwhelmingly to pass Bill that sought to remove presidential age limit that was capped at 75

- The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party members who supported the controversial Bill carried the day with 317 votes against 107 from the opposing side

- The Age Limit Article 102(b) of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda prevented presidential candidates outside the age bracket of 35 – 75 from vying for the top office

- With the restricting Constitutional requirement out of the way, the 73-year-old President Yoweri Museveni will be free to vie again in 2021

After the drama that characterized the Age Limit Debate in Uganda's Parliament, the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party had the final laugh.

The Ugandan Parliament on Tuesday, December 19, overwhelmingly endorsed the Bill that sought to remove the presidential age limit (capped at 75) through constitutional amendment, thanks to NRM's numerical strength in the chamber.

According to reports by the local media, NRM members who supported the controversial Bill carried the day with 317 votes against 107 from the opposing side.

Initial attempts to debate the Bill, which was introduced in September this year by a member of the NRM party, also winded up in street protests and fist-fights between those supporting the Bill and those opposing it.

Endorsement of the Bill means that Museveni could be Uganda's president for life. The Constitutional requirement that restricted him has been removed.